Indonesia: NGOs’ changing roles in sustainable agro industry

Edi Purwanto and Soren Moestrup Jakarta Post 30 May 16;

Indonesia’s economic development and resource utilization are largely driven by global demand. At present a large part of natural-resource management is in the hands of the private sector.

Palm oil is a prime example, as the unprecedented growth in global demand, during the past 20 years, has resulted in major changes in land use in the country. Without strong governance and law enforcement on natural resources and land use, the expansion of palm oil production has resulted in a dramatic loss of forests through deforestation, as well as ecosystem degradation.

During the last decade, growing consumer expectations that agro-commodities should be environment friendly and sustainably produced have provided drivers for civil society campaigns on investor and company producer practices to better comply with environmentally friendly and socially sensitive commodities. Such consumer expectations and campaigns have become new drivers of sustainable resource management and utilization in production chains, as well as at landscape level and have as such supported the government in law enforcement on the sustainable production and use of natural resources.

Consumers and investors are participating in commodity-specific forums, such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil ( RSPO ), which has initiated strict standards preventing oil-palm plantation development in areas with a high carbon stock ( HCS ) or of high conservation value ( HCV ). The sustainability standards, to which RSPO members are committed, can lead to a positive environmental impact on the development of new palm oil plantations. RSPO members have an obligation to compensate HCV areas that have been lost to deforestation since 2005.

Given RSPO members control the largest palm oil concessions in the country, the scheme, in combination with a declining palm oil price, reduced the establishment of palm oil plantations by more than half a million hectares per annum in the period of 2007-2013.

Consumer expectations on environmentally friendly and sustainably produced agro-commodities have also led to an unprecedented increase in the number of companies that have adopted strict environmental regulations on sustainable management and production systems.

Prime examples include APP Pulp and Paper, which in 2013 first published its sustainability targets announcing an immediate halt to natural forest clearing throughout the supply chain. Major palm oil companies Wilmar International, Cargil Inc., Golden Agri Resources, Asian Agri and Musim Mas have signed the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge ( IPOP ), “No deforestation, no peat, no exploitation policy”, which is a commitment to transparency, accountability and to ensuring compliance of all third-party suppliers. Oil palm and pulpwood plantations take up about 11 million ha and 3.5 million ha ( out of 10 million ha granted permits ) of land in Indonesia, respectively.

The growing concerns on environmental safeguards have also been well responded to by the government. As part of a larger goal of reducing deforestation and carbon emissions, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo extended, in May 2015, a moratorium on the clearing of primary forests and peatlands.

It was the second time the ban on issuing concessions to plantation companies had been renewed since a presidential decree was issued in 2011. In May 2016 the President plans to issue a decree on the suspension of new oil-palm plantation development. This applies to the suspension of the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s authority to release convertible state production forests ( outside the existing moratorium map ) for palm oil plantations.

How do the conservation NGOs in this country respond to this development?

NGOs have come to realize that anti-corporate demonstrations, organized boycotts, and protests can be far more effective and powerful than anti-government campaigns, particularly when targeting established, reputable global brands. In response, corporations have attempted to identify and select the available areas and opportunities to cooperate with NGOs to cement fruitful relationships. Some leading conservation NGOs are involved in safeguarding the environmental sustainability of leading palm oil and pulp and paper companies.

When building partnerships with the private sector, the NGOs should not forget their long-term watchdog function and therefore continuously monitor the environmental effects of private companies’ involvement in the protection of Indonesia’s natural resources.

NGOs should be able to manage the impacts of IPOP on smallholder plantations; they have to facilitate buyers, producers, banks and other financial institutions with a practical guide on how to engage with smallholder farming-related challenges and opportunities, especially on access to markets, financing innovation, improving legality, preventing deforestation and remediating agricultural labor problems.

With reliable, verified and well-framed evidence, NGOs have strategic roles in assisting government and frontrunner companies to create and strengthen strategies in multi-stakeholder dialogues on policy change that improve smallholder resilience and sustainability.
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Edi Purwanto is a director of Tropenbos International Indonesia. Soren Moestrup is senior adviser at the Department of geoscience and natural resource management at the University of Copenhagen.

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Indonesia: High tides slam west, south coasts

Slamet Susanto The Jakarta Post 30 May 16;

High tides caused by changing pressure in the oceans have damaged dozens of ships and swept away residents’ possessions along the coasts of Yogyakarta and Aceh over the past few days.

On Depok beach, Yogyakarta, which is located on the south coast of Java, the homes and ships were hit by 5-meter high tides that swept away furniture from residents’ houses.

“There was no structural damage, but many tables and chairs were swept away by the tides,” Dardi Nugroho, a resident and a food stall owner at the beach, said on Sunday.

Fishermen were also unprepared for the high tides.

“More than 20 ships have been damaged. Fishermen did not see this coming. Dozens of fish nets are gone,” he said.

In Gunungkidul, dozens of boats are also heavily damaged.

“Boats were docked next to each other at the beach when the tides came. So they crashed into each other and were broken,” said Yanto, a fisherman from Baron beach, Gunungkidul.

Marjono, a search and rescue team member at Baron beach, said a total of 95 boats had been damaged and reminded fishermen to temporarily halt going out to the sea for the next week while waiting the tides to recede.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency ( BMKG ) office in Sabang, Aceh, also reminded residents of the country’s most-northern area, We Island, not to go fishing due to strong winds and high tides.

“Sabang and nearby regions will experience downpours, strong winds and high tides so we ask fishermen to stay at home until the weather improves,” said BMKG Sabang office head Siswanto, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said that the strong winds along the north eastern part of We Island were caused by low pressure in Philippine waters.

Siswono also said that the generally bad weather in several parts of the country was caused by Madden-Julian Oscillation ( MJO ), a moving system of wind, cloud and atmospheric pressure that brings rain as it circles around the equator. The MJO is currently located at the western part of Indonesia, he added

“The MJO’s position has caused a lot of air in the clouds, causing the strong wind and high tides,” he said.

He predicted that the bad weather will continue until Tuesday.

The BMKG office in Aceh’s Meulaboh-Nagan Raya made a similar appeal to residents along the west coast of Aceh.

“All this week, there is a 3.5-meter high tide and strong wind. People should remain alert,” said BMKG Meulaboh-Nagan Raya office head Edi Darlupti on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Edi said residents in West Aceh should also be careful if spending their time along the beaches and avoid swimming in the open ocean.

“Now the waves at the beaches have reached 3-meters high. Please do not swim in the ocean at the moment,” he said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 29-30 May 2016

5 Jun (Sun): Balik Chek Jawa with the Chek Jawa community
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Butterfly Photography 101
Butterflies of Singapore

Communicating the Urgency of Climate Change Impacts in Singapore
Life in Transition

Red Egg Crab (Atergatis integerrimus) @ Sentosa
Monday Morgue

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Singapore raises concerns over haze at UN meeting

NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 30 May 16;

SINGAPORE — Singapore has taken to the global stage to raise concerns about the impact of transboundary air pollution, stressing that both domestic action and greater international cooperation are essential to address the challenge.

Speaking at an event convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) in Nairobi, Kenya, last week, Senior Minister of State (Health and the Environment and Water Resources) Amy Khor said air pollution stunts economic development and is detrimental to human health.

Calling it a key environmental challenge faced by many countries, Dr Khor said the burning of peatlands and forests in South-east Asia has resulted in transboundary haze.

Singapore thus works actively with countries in the region to mitigate it, she said in Singapore’s statement for the high-level segment of the UN Environment Assembly, which was attended by more than 120 environment ministers.

Dr Khor did not refer specifically to the worst-ever haze episode in the region last year, which affected tens of millions of people and cost Indonesia an estimated US$16 billion (S$22.1 billion) and Singapore about S$700 million.

Nor did she mention a recent disagreement with Indonesia, in which Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) obtained a court warrant against the director of an Indonesian company that is linked to forest fires that cause haze.

The director had failed to turn up for an interview with the authorities in Singapore despite being served a legal notice to do so when he was here. He could be detained the next time he enters the country.

But Dr Khor reiterated Singapore’s enactment of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014 to penalise errant companies and individuals who cause haze pollution here.

“Singapore will not tolerate any actions of entities that harm the environment and put at risk the people’s health,” she said.

Singapore is also a party to the Association of South-east Asian Nations’ Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which requires parties to take measures to prevent and control haze, said Dr Khor. Singapore collaborates with its neighbours on fire prevention and mitigation.

Civil society and businesses play an important role, she added. Civil society can boost consumer support for sustainably-sourced products, and businesses can ensure accountability in their supply chains.

The Unep’s flagship environmental publication recently highlighted the impact of peatland fires and cited transboundary haze as a pressing regional air quality challenge.

The World Health Organization estimates that seven million deaths occur every year from air pollution exposure.

Dr Khor, who was accompanied by officials from the Environment and Water Resources Ministry and the NEA, also met key partners and Unep’s outgoing executive director Achim Steiner and his successor Erik Solheim during her trip.

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Yuhua volunteers pick up litter after No Cleaner Day

LIYANA OTHMAN Today Online 30 May 16;

SINGAPORE — Nearly 480kg of rubbish were collected as part of a major clean-up exercise at Yuhua yesterday morning. This was part of a nationwide movement aimed at getting residents to take greater ownership of keeping the country litter-free.

And there was plenty to do, as several blocks in the area were not cleaned on Saturday. These blocks were designated “No Cleaner Day” by Jurong-Clementi Town Council, to discourage littering and get residents to feel responsible for their estate’s cleanliness.

But Yuhua Member of Parliament Grace Fu said the results were “less than satisfactory”.

“We have found a significant amount of litter on the ground, and we’d like to keep up with this initiative to encourage residents to be socially gracious, and to be publicly-spirited,” she said.

“So it’s about wanting to keep our environment clean (and) the public area clean — that will really make us a gracious society — (and) not just rely on cleaners.”

So what were some of the most common types of trash?

“Cigarette butts all over — especially in the flower beds — toilet paper, cotton buds, toilet roll coils thrown from toilets, I think,” said Ms Fu, who is also the Minister for Community, Culture and Youth.

“These are very common litter, which are very unhygienic, but sometimes I think an act that an individual feels is inconsequential actually adds up to a whole lot of rubbish in the morning.”

Residents, grassroots leaders as well as students and teachers from two primary schools in the area got their hands dirty as they picked up the litter.

“A lot of rubbish today because yesterday there was no cleaning, so we had to pick up a lot of rubbish today,” said Ramachandran, a 69-year-old resident. “Awareness should be brought to them to clean up because this is their own place, Singapore is their own place.”

Mr Johan Lim, a Primary 4 student at Yuhua Primary School, said: “This activity is quite hard, so I think I gained a lot of experience from doing this and at the same time it’s also quite fun. It’s fun because I made a lot of new friends and I get to put myself in the cleaners’ shoes, so that I can help to clean up the environment and help to clean up the community.”

Some of the estate’s cleaners were also at the event to receive recognition for their service and dedication.

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Pulau Ubin: Saving what's precious at water's edge

Straits Times editorial 30 May 16;

Plans by the State to rehabilitate Pulau Ubin's crumbling shoreline would cheer many who see the island's 720 native plant species and more than 500 animal species as precious natural assets that should be safeguarded. There was a time when some wanted Ubin to be simply left alone, as when the Chek Jawa Wetlands controversy arose 15 years ago. Such thinking has since evolved.

The seemingly paradoxical demands highlight the challenge of conservation as new threats arise alongside existing ones.

Climate change, for example, is expected to heighten coastal erosion in many places as sea levels rise and project more wave energy to the shoreline. Up to 20 per cent of coastal wetlands are expected to suffer, according to studies elsewhere. Wilder storms and shifting currents (due to shipping traffic and land reclamation) also play a part. Much of what has been learnt from efforts to protect Ubin could be applied to other coastal areas here that are being besieged.

Caught between advancing development and the deep blue sea are the world's 70 species of mangroves that might disappear altogether, say scientists. That would be a considerable loss as tidal wetland ecosystems formed by mangrove forests help prevent erosion, sustain mudskippers, crabs, snails and birds, and help to improve water quality.

Singapore had 6,400ha of mangroves in 1953 but only a fraction now remains, mostly in Ubin, Sungei Buloh, Labrador Park and Pasir Ris. Quite apart from the value of saving endangered species like the Eye of the Crocodile tree species, protection of mangroves can reinforce the effectiveness of man-made sea walls that will be needed to hold back the seas. A combination of natural and engineering methods is envisaged for Ubin which is facing severe erosion in its northern areas, leading to the closure of popular Noordin Beach.

Small though it is - about the size of Changi Airport - Ubin can play a useful role in promoting awareness of the threats being faced by coastal areas. Every new generation needs to appreciate that conservation is a never-ending task, not just along the coast but also farther inland - like the reforestation undertaken earlier at the western side of Ubin to restore the land after a bush fire there. In joining hands for such efforts, people might value more the biodiversity that remains.

Such appreciation can act as a buffer against any invasive land-use plans that might emerge in the future. One cannot rule out radical approaches should demands arise for more land for development. The 2001 Concept Plan, for example, had mentioned the possibility of linking Ubin, Tekong and Changi. Thankfully, plans have since emerged to keep Ubin the way it is for now - protecting what still thrives there and preserving traces of what used to be.

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Singapore beaches vital to turtles' survival

Lin Yangchen Straits Times AsiaOne 29 May 16;

Singapore's sandy beaches are a popular place for people to enjoy a relaxing day off, but they are also vital to the survival of one of the world's most fascinating creatures.

Throughout the year, endangered sea turtles make landfall on beaches like Changi and East Coast Park to lay their eggs.

The emerging baby turtles, however, risk being trampled on by people or disoriented by bright city lights.

More than 200 turtle hatchlings have been rescued from such predicaments since 2009, according to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

Soon, turtle eggs will have a safe place to develop should they need protection, with plans being hatched for the country's first sea turtle hatchery, supported by a $500,000 donation from HSBC Singapore.

The facility will be set up at the southern lagoon on Small Sisters' Island by the end of next year, and will form an integral part of Singapore's first marine park.

National University of Singapore's (NUS) Mr N. Sivasothi, who has been working with Acres, the National Parks Board (NParks) and volunteers in turtle rescue and release since the 1990s, said: "This initiative will be very helpful in coordinating action and educating people who may not know we have turtles landing on our shores to lay eggs."

Mr Stephen Beng, chairman of the marine conservation group of the Nature Society (Singapore), noted that the effort could facilitate the collection of reliable population data, especially in the face of rising sea temperatures.

Turtle beach sagas have been chronicled in Singapore for about 20 years.

Back in 1996, a group of colleagues having a barbecue at East Coast Park could not believe their eyes when a turtle came up on the beach and laid 100 eggs. One of them said she thought that "it was impossible for such things to happen in Singapore".

In 2006, rollerbladers at East Coast Park raced to rescue about 80 hatchlings crawling haphazardly onto cycling tracks and falling into drains, disoriented by lit lampposts.

Since 2012, there have been 10 reported sightings of turtle hatchlings or adults laying eggs on the shores of East Coast Park and Changi Beach, said NParks, while Acres said it receives about six calls a year related to sea turtle sightings on Singapore's beaches.

When a turtle sighting is reported, an NParks officer will assess the situation on site, and decisions are made based on sound science, in consultation with Acres and NUS where necessary, said Dr Karenne Tun, director of NParks' National Biodiversity Centre.

"It is best to leave the eggs in the natural habitat that the turtle has chosen," said Acres deputy chief executive Anbarasi Boopal.

Eggs are moved only when there are risks such as poaching, predation, pollution or flooding and the risks cannot be mitigated on site.

Ms Boopal added that Acres would look at getting hands-on training from other hatcheries and turtle rehabilitation centres in the region, and adapt it to Singapore's context.

Turtles remain under threat in the region despite the presence of more than 10 sea turtle sanctuaries and hatcheries in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Their eggs are popular as a delicacy in Malaysia, with a study finding that more than 400,000 eggs were traded in the state of Terengganu in 2007. Turtle eggs were sold in Singapore many years ago before it became illegal to harvest them.

With the new hatchery, there will be one more safe refuge where they can develop close to their natural environment.

Mr Beng said that the design of the hatchery, which has not been finalised, should include a buffer zone of native vegetation and reduce light pollution, which can be fatal to nesting females and their young.

Besides hatching eggs and studying local sea turtle populations, the facility will conduct outreach programmes.

HSBC staff will also be involved in habitat maintenance and possibly the collection of eggs.

Said HSBC Singapore chief executive Guy Harvey-Samuel: "Building a sustainable environment requires public and private sectors, NGOs and communities to work together to deliver lasting positive changes."

Mr Beng stressed that outreach activities must be managed carefully to minimise disturbance to the turtles, giving the example of one overseas nesting site where the nesting population crashed following swelling tourist numbers.

"The hatchery must remain a place for the benefit of the sea turtle and not one for human entertainment."

Turtle haven

Singapore is in a region considered by the World Wildlife Fund to be one of the world's most important for sea turtles, as it is next to Indonesia whose sprawling archipelagoes host all but one of the world's seven species of these reptiles.

Five turtle species have been recorded in the waters around Singapore, although only two are regulars here - the green and the hawksbill.

The green turtle is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List as endangered, while the hawksbill is critically endangered.

Hawksbill populations have suffered from centuries of hunting for their beautiful shells, which are used to make ornaments.

The three other species that have been seen in Singapore are the leatherback, loggerhead and Olive Ridley turtles.

Mr Stephen Beng, chairman of the marine conservation group of the Nature Society (Singapore), said that sea turtles demonstrate the interconnectivity of marine and coastal ecosystems.

"The sea turtle relies on our coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves for food and shelter, and needs our sandy beaches for reproduction," he said.

"By conserving our sea turtles and studying them, other marine species and habitats may benefit as well."

In 2010, Underwater World Singapore released 18 hawksbill turtles, eight of them outfitted with satellite tracking devices, in a study of migratory behaviour in collaboration with organisations in Japan and the United States.

One of them travelled more than 2,600km in 83 days, reaching waters near the Philippines.

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Malaysia: Hunters to become the hunted

HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM and SIM LEOI LEOI The Star 30 May 16;

PUTRAJAYA: The heat is on for poachers of Malaysian wildlife. They will now come under fire from both fronts – legally and with heavier firearms.

In an interview with The Star, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the authorities were looking into the possibility of further arming enforcement officers.

“We have been given some firearms by the Home Ministry. If there is demand and requirements, I am willing to go and see Deputy Prime Minister (who is the Home Minister) to see how we can further arm our officers,” he said.

A recent survey suggests that rangers in 11 tiger range countries which include Malaysia said they faced life-threatening situations from poachers and the community.

“Hunters go to the forest carrying guns but our people carry parang. If you have officers with a gun, they will have the upper hand. We need to look at things in perspective,” Wan Junaidi said.

He was asked if the ministry would consider arming wildlife enforcement officers in Peninsula Malaysia, considering rampant cases of killing by armed poachers.

Under Section 8 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, he said National Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) enforcement officers were authorised to carry weapons in the exercise of their duties.

“The authorities involved in the operation will be supplied with arms by the department.

“There are also joint operations with other enforcement agencies, such as the army and police, if there is a risk involving wildlife crimes,” he said.

This comes as the conservation groups warned of links between organised crime groups and the illegal trade of wildlife, such as tiger and sunbear carcasses and their parts.

In the Ranger Perceptions: Asia survey, some 334 of the 530 rangers surveyed in 11 tiger range countries said they had faced life threatening situations with 74% of them also saying that they were not provided with proper equipment and amenities in their work.

The first ever United Nations World Wildlife Crime report also identified Malaysia as one of the top reptile skin exporters, saying that much of the trade was illegally sourced.

Dr Wan Junaidi said the ministry was also looking into amending the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which could see offenders fined up to RM1mil and be whipped.

Currently, the highest penalty that could be imposed on offenders under the Act, he said, was a fine of up to RM500,000 and a prison term of not more than five years.

“During the five years of the implementation, the Government finds that there is a need to amend the Act in force now.”


‘Yes’ to armed wildlife officers
HEMANANTHANI SIVANANDAM The Star 1 Jun 16;

PETALING JAYA: The proposal to arm wildlife and forest enforcement officers has been raised and praised in a number of forums by conservation groups.

Calling it a good initiative, Malaysian Nature Society president Henry Goh said the proposal was an added measure to protect wildlife.

“For various reasons, this has not been carried out. Firearms will provide a measure for the officers to protect themselves as well as be a deterrent to poachers,” he said.

Goh was commenting on The Star report that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry was looking at arming the officers.

Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar had said that under Section 8 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, National Wildlife and National Parks Department enforcement officers were authorised to carry weapons while on duty.

Traffic South-East Asia regional director Dr Chris R. Shepherd said wildlife officers and rangers around the world were increasingly coming under threat because poachers and organised crime networks were involved in illegal wildlife trade.

“The poachers and criminal gangs are well funded and well armed. There are a number of cases where these officers have been shot, wounded and even killed in the line of duty.

“They are up against great odds, risking their lives to protect an area and wildlife,” he said.

Dr Shepherd said Malaysia has very strong laws, especially in the peninsula, when it comes to wildlife conservation but continues to be plagued by illegal wildlife trade.

“Increasing penalties may be helpful but ultimately, disrupting the wildlife crime networks from top to bottom and removing the kingpins is important,” he said.

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Malaysia: 152 more officers needed to safeguard marine parks

The Star 30 May 16;

LANGKAWI: An additional 152 enforcement officers and more specific legal provisions are needed to safeguard marine parks in the country, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

The Natural Resources and Environment Minister said currently, there were only about 100 officers with an average of three in one patrol boat at any one time.

Dr Wan Junaidi said the number was not sufficient and exposed them to danger while carrying out enforcement duties.

“We want enforcement duties to be safer,” he said. “We do not want problems to occur before improving the (standard operating procedure) norms,” he said after launching three new catamaran patrol boats for the Department of Marine Parks Malaysia here yesterday.

Wan Junaidi said the department could emulate the operating procedures of other agencies that placed at least seven officers to a boat.

“I will meet the director-general of the Public Service to convince him of the real situation,” he said.

The minister said he had also instructed department director-general Datuk Dr Sukarno Sugianto to prepare a draft for the Marine Parks Bill so that it could be studied before it was tabled in Parliament.

He said since its inception in 2004, the department was still carrying out enforcement based on provisions under the Fisheries Act 1985.

“By right, laws should have been enacted at the time so that the department would have had its own laws,” he said.

Dr Wan Junaidi said the department should give urgent attention to this matter to enable it to have a clear basis for enforcement in relation to its role of maintaining the country’s marine parks.

“It is my wish that during the Budget sitting at the end of the year, we should be able to get the first reading of the Bill,” he said. “Then at least, the law can be implemented by 2017.” — Bernama

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Malaysia: We’ll conserve tapir our way, says Junaidi

The Star 30 May 16;

PUTRAJAYA: The Malayan tapir will not be joining the other black and white icon, the panda, as part of Malaysia’s diplomacy with other countries.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the Malaysian Government had its own way of making the conservation of the species a success through its cooperation with Japan.

“It’s certainly not like the Panda diplomacy,” he said in an interview, referring to the gift of pandas by China as a symbol of friendship with various countries.

The tapir – known as the eater of nightmares among the Japanese – is protected in Malaysia.

A pair of tapir has recently been sent to the world-class Nagasaki Bio Park for 10 years under a conservation programme by Malaysia and Japan.

“With the ongoing pressure facing the Malayan tapir in peninsular Malaysia, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) deems it timely to prepare a Conservation Action Plan for the species to guide conservation management through the next decade,” he said.

Between 2010 and last year, 68 Malayan tapirs were rescued while 54 were victims of road accidents in the last 10 years.

Perhilitan identified 133 locations – known as hotspots – for tapir crossings.

To help curb such accidents, Dr Wan Junaidi said 236 “Tapir Crossing Signboards”, 37 transverse bars and 24 amber lights were installed at these hot spots to warn road users.

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Malaysia: Elephants destroy more than 2,000 banana trees in Baling

BERNAMA New Straits Times 30 May 16;

BALING: More than 2,000 banana trees that were already bearing fruit have been destroyed by elephants roaming near Kampung Batu 8.

Villagers are getting anxious as the wild animals which also destroyed almost 1,000 oil palm trees had been seen to be approaching the residence particularly around midnight.

“Despite lodging a report, no action has been taken by the authorities including the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Farmer Yahya Mat Isa, 55, said 200 of his banana trees had been destroyed by elephants in the past three months.

“I don’t dare to take any action except report the matter to the authorities,” he said.

Another farmer Yaakub Saad, 67, concurred that there had been no action or compensation from the relevant authorities for their losses following the destruction by the elephants.

“Some parties suggested that we have no right to seek compensation as the crops were planted on government land.

But we have not received any even though the land belonged to us,” he lamented.

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Malaysia: Oil spill threatens 5km coastline in Penang

R. SEKARAN The Star 29 May 16;

GEORGE TOWN: An oil spill has polluted a 5km coastline on the island stretching from Swettenham Pier to Gurney Drive.

Sea currents pushed the black oil – estima­ted to be a few thousand litres – to the shoreline, creating a slimy strip up to 2m wide in some stretches.

Penang Port chief operating officer Sasedha­ran Vasudevan said the spill was first detected at the Prai Bulk Terminal on the mainland on Friday night.

Clean up operations by the port, Department of Environment (DOE) and private oil companies began immediately, he said, but not before sea currents spread the oil to the island.

Sasedharan said the private oil companies deployed their tugboats and manpower to manually scoop the scum up.

DOE state director Nor Juliana Jaafar said the department had sent personnel to inspect ships along the channel in an attempt to find the culprit.

It has also sent the oil for analysis with the results expected to be known tomorrow.

“It’s not a continuous line but there are patches of the oil seen all along the affected coastline. We have asked the Marine Depart­ment to help determine the extent of the damage,” she said, adding that DOE would also inspect the spill from the air.

State Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said initial tests showed that it was a mix of fuel and engine oil.

“We have zeroed down to one ship that could have caused this during the investigation. We will check further and take action soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, photographs of the incident are spreading on Facebook, showing fishermen’s nets covered in the oil.

The last time an oil spill occurred here was in May 2012 when hotel guests in Batu Fer­ringhi found strips of sand polluted with black oil on the beach.


Oil spill in waters off Penang mopped up
R. SEKARAN The Star 30 May 16;

GEORGE TOWN: An oil spill that polluted a 5km coastline stretching from Swettenham Pier to Gurney Drive has been cleaned up.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) chief operating officer V. Sasedharan said the clean-up operation that involved the PPSB, the Marine Department, the Department of Environment (DOE) and private oil companies was completed at 2.55pm yesterday.

Earlier, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was “totally unacceptable” that the Federal Government kept Penang in the dark about the spill.

Describing it as an “environmental crisis,” Lim said the state government was only informed after 24 hours.

“The spill involved a 70km sq area. I have been trying to get in touch with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim) since Saturday for more information but could not reach him,” Lim said after visiting the Sri Kahlee Amman temple in Air Itam yesterday.

“We have identified the vessel responsible for the spill,” added Lim.

Checks showed that the vessel was an oil tanker built in 2011 and registered in Port Klang.

“While we understand that it’s a Federal Government operation, we should have been informed early,” Lim said.

DOE officer Nor Juliana Jaafar denied that the source of the spill had been identified as investigations were still on-going.

“I am not aware of the information and our reports on the incident are directly handed over to the director-general. However, we can confirm that it was fuel oil,” she said.

The oil spill was detected near the Prai Bulk Terminal on Friday night.

The oil slick spread to The Esplanade and Gurney Drive where pictures showed strips of black oil at the shorelines.

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